Philadelphia-based managed care organization Health Partners Plans is partnering with Fabric Health for outreach at five laundromats in the city, Philadelphia Business Journal reported Aug. 29.
Fabric Health will help Health Partners Plans members update their contact information with the county assistance office, survey people for social determinants of health needs and link people to Health Partners Plans' member relations and care management resources, according to the report.
"Low-income families are often overwhelmed with insurance information without knowing how to engage in preventive health services," Health Partners Plans CEO Denise Napier told Philadelphia Business Journal. "Through this partnership with Fabric Health, we hope to hear directly from our community about their needs so we can link local families with our care management resources."
Fabric Health co-founder Allister Chang told the outlet that there are about 32 million people who spend about two weeks a year waiting for their clothes at laundromats. The company estimated that about 20 percent of its Philadelphia laundromat users are Health Partners Plans members, 41 percent are Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program recipients and 21 percent are Medicare recipients.
"It's a place to meet people where they have time," Mr. Chang told the Philadelphia Business Journal. "You get the highest retention and completion for multi-step procedures at a laundromat."